HORN CRAFT OF WEST BENGAL

HORN CRAFT OF WEST BENGAL

GUIDED BY
MR. JYOTINDRA JAIN
MS. ANUSHREE KUMAR

DOCUMENTATED BY
ABHISHEK DE
ANANDITA RAO
MANSI GUPTA
RISHIKA SALECHA
SRIVIDYA DEVADAS

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF CRAFTS & DESIGN

Crafts have evolved immensely in India.

Horn craft is a craft pursued in the
states of West Bengal, Orissa and Uttar
Pradesh.
Our journey represents the sum of the
special knowledge which we gained
from a small family. A family with of
a man, woman, two daughters and
a grandmother, sustaining life with
minimal resources yet filled with an
utmost welcoming attitude.
There were a number of unknown and
unnoticed things and actions such as that
the products had a major influence by
nature. This craft is a classic example of
how the waste of one industry provides
raw material for another industry. The
horn waste is used as a fertiliser in the
fields.

Text Srividya Devadas Photographs RIshika Salecha and

Srividya Devadas

All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. No

part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy,
recording or any other information storage and retrieval system,
without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Designed by Mansi gupta

Edited by Anandita Rao

The simplicity with which the products

were formed and the basic logical
thought processes were eye openers
.It made the simple act of looking an
endless pleasure.
This craft documentation captures the
story of an animal by-product turning
into an aesthetic object.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We profusely thank Srimati & Sri Panchanan Das &his family for giving us their precious time and
sharing all their knowledge on horn craft and making us feel at home with their love and affection.
We also would like to thank Mrs. Somita Chandra, Director at Madhusudan Nagar Craft Centre,
Midnapore, for her constant guidance towards documenting the craft throughout our stay and to
those people who made our trip sustainable; our family and friends.

CONTENTS

The state of West Bengal

The craft destination- Narayanchowk
About IICD
Introduction to Horn
Artisan- Mr. Panchanan Das
Craft Cluster- New Chanchala Wood and Horn Industry
Raw Material
Processes- Spoon, Comb, Sculpture
Varieties of Horn
Difference Between Cow Horn and Buffalo Horn
Tools
Buying and Selling Strategy
Our Experience

ABOUT IICD

IICD is a unique institution that is synergizing

traditional knowledge and skills with contemporary
needs to evolve methodologies that are relevant to
modern India.
It is an innovative, first of its kind Institute set up by
the Government of Rajasthan, to develop human
resources for the craft sector.
The central idea of the Institute is to evolve a
sustained programme of growth and development
for both crafts sector and craftsmen in an integrated
manner, i.e. to generate requisite knowledge, to
upgrade relevant skills

*as downloaded from googleimages.com

THE STATE OF WEST BENGAL

The state of west Bengal has had a very important role in Indian history. Politically as
the seat of the British raj this had tumultuous effect on Indian psyche. Bengal was birth
place to various mystics and social reformers, crafts, poets & intellects.
With children being brought up reciting the poems of Rabindranath Tagore, one can
see the influence of art in their lives. Festivals such as durga puja ,kali puja ,saraswati
puja and many more are celebrated with great enthusiasm and zest in this state .the
bengalis have a close relation with hilsa fish a definite delicacy smoked variety & sweet
mouthing like sandesh ,rasgullah,mishit dahi etc .
Bengal renaissance had wide spread social consequences throughout India - abolition
of sati, legalisation of Hindu widow remarriage act, the start of English education,
gradual raising of marriageable age for girls are all milestones in the countrys growth
as a civilised nation. With breathe taking architecture monuments like Victoria memorial,
Howrah Bridge, shanti niketan are known all over the world.

*as downloaded from googleimages.com

THE CRAFT DESTINATION- NARAYANCHOWK

Situated by the river Kosai, the village of Narayanchowk is home to the horn craft in
West Bengal. With no boundary walls in the neighbourhood and small ponds beside
every house, this place is worth getting engaged with.
The village, well connected with dusty kachcha roads, is 82 kilometre away from the
capital city of Kolkata.
When looked around, vast expanses of rice plantation, vegetable and flower fields fall
into view. The kachcha roads are followed by bamboo bushes on each side of the path
forming canopies for every time one would lift the eyes.
The village still retains the essence of mud houses sustained by vertical bamboo
framework. Not exceeding the number of storeys by three, the slant roofs are made with
terracatta tiles, to discontinue the flow of water inside the house during rainy season. It
is hard to show the back to this wonderful place on earth.

INTRODUCTION TO HORN

Horn is an external part of animals like cows, buffaloes,goats ,rhinoceros ,deers. Horns
are growths that protrude from the skulls of some animals. They are made up of two
components, first is bone and the second is keratin.
The bone is the centre, or core, of the horn and is fused to the bone of the skull. The
bone core is covered by a resilient sheath (protective covering) made of keratin. Horns
are the permanent part of the animal, which means the horns an animal is born with are
the same horns it has its entire life.
Horns do not branch out, but instead end only in one point on each side of the animals
head. Depending on the species of the animals, horns might be found on both males
and females, or males only. Horns are used for determination of age in various species
depending on the number of rings observed on the horn.
In horn craft animals like cows and buffaloes are dehorned. Buffalo horns are also
said to be found fallen in forests which are also put to use. Domesticated animals are
dehorned so as to not harm themselves or others.

ARTISAN- MR PANCHANAN DAS

Living in Narayanchowk in a two storey

A problem of dying availability of raw material

house with his wife two daughters and mother,

is being experienced due to export .Also the

Mr.Panchanan Das has carried down the

quality has said to degrade as people learn little

tradition of making horn products from his

and start their own practice. Mr.Panchanan

forefathers .Having passed 12th standard and

Das is client oriented and also does various

being able to read English, his aspirations still

other explorations of his own. He takes up

were to create his products in horn.

orders of designers. His products are very

much influenced by nature.

A quarter portion of the ground floor of his

abode is his workshop having two other men

He has experience of working with jig saw,

working for him, he learned techniques of

turning lathe even though he doesnt have one

creating products in horn from his father having

in his workshop. He is associated with the West

the income of Rs. 150 to 200 per day and

Bengal Industrial Training Center under the

monthly production of Rs.4000.

DIC . Mr.Panchanan Das is a very hardworking

person and is always willing to work with new

Previously he had more labour to work with

but eventually they departed in search of
government jobs. He has skill to produce
products but not enough labour due to which
he cannot participate in big fairs. His products
are sold through NGOs, private middle men
and the government.

technologies and designs.

CRAFT CLUSTER- NEW CHANCHALA WOOD AND HORN INDUSTRY

Another cluster we visited a little far away from

They make products like key chains, spoons,

Mr.Panchanan Dass house was of Mr.Tarun

small bird sculptures, coasters, knives, bowls,

Singha- New Chanchala Horn and Wood

combs, etc. But not all these products would

Industry. This cluster comprised of families

be completely made of horn; they are usually

working together including the women of the

in combination with wood or coconut shells.

families in the cluster. It is very market oriented

Inlay of sea shells &wood in horn is also found.

with a business minded approach.

In ten days of Delhi Trade Fair they earn 4-5

lakhs. They have good exposure in the market

They are not completely loyal to the material of

and are seen in many big fairs.

horn and hence make products with mixture of

wood, seashell, coconut shell and horn. This

A spoon serving of theirs in whole sale would be

cluster has the availability of machines like

Rs.150 & a single piece in fair would be Rs.200.

grinders, jig-saw, circular cutting saw, turning

Small bird sculpture would cost Rs.300-400

lathe, generator for electricity thus making their

.And whistle key chains worth Rs.25. Each

work faster and easier.

labourer ought to make 35-50 key chains a day.

RAW MATERIAL

Buffalo horn is said to be sourced from places

CHARACTERISTICS OF HORN:

like Orissa, Assam,Madras and Bihar . It is also

sold in sialdah and raja bazaar in Kolkata. Horns

Horn in its form is three dimensional as it

have now started to be coloured in blue, black &

commences from the skull it is broad and with

red with acid colours available from raja bazaar

the growth it narrows to its ends .The broader

in Kolkata. It seems most of the horn products

portion is hollow ,light whereas the narrow

are made from buffalo horns and less from cow

portion is solid ,heavier and used for expensive

horns.

decorative items .

It is brought in unit of kilograms varying from the

Horn can be bent and carved to a very flexible

range of Rs.40/kg to Rs.200/kg rising in quality;

shape or form; it is tightly bound with even

the maximum weight of horn is 3 kg in damp

grains. It emulates the smell of burnt hair while

conditions horn tends to get spoilt.

heating due to keratin.

Horns are found mainly in shades of grey and
black. Though white horns are available, they
are rare and expensive. Horns exported from
Australia are found in different colours and
textures.

PROCESSES

The solid portion of the horn is chopped off.

The heated horn is then pressed according to the required

product. The horn is kept in between a wooden die so that it
does not get spoilt. If the horn is flattened, the slant edges are
chopped off with a saw.

The horn is then cut into two halves, vertically or horizontally as

per requirement..

The horn is then dampened to make it soft. Therefore the rainy

season acts as a favourable time of the year.

It is then heated by the naturally available fuel, which is lit by

a kerosene lamp. to keep the flame kindled, a manual fan is
used.

The horn is then filed one stage before drying. This is the basic
preparation of the material horn to be made into any product.

The flattened horn piece is then marked with a wooden template

and then cut with a saw.

The round portion is kept in a wooden block die which is kept

under pressure to give it a concave shape.

PROCESS OF MAKING A SPOON

The handle of the spoon is pressured downwards so as to keep

it in the same position of the joint is a straight aligned line.

The detailed curvatures of the spoon are given while grinding.

The design is drawn with a marker. Mostly the images

resemble the animals around and are inspired with the local
environment.

The image is carved out with the grinder. The outline of the
form is achived in this process.

A grinder with lesser thickness is used to carve out the finer

details aof the image.

The object is then polished with super-X polish to obtain the

desired glossy surface.

Often this sort of pattern is carved out with a v-shaped chisel.

One tooth is used a pivot while the other revolves to carve
the pattern.

Looking at the flattened horn pieces, the design of the comb

is drawn to minimise wastage. Traditionally, horn craft started
with making combs because it is a very good material for the
scalp.

The teeth cutting machine is used yo carve out the teed on the
comb. It has different sandstones of gauge 16, 18, 22, 24 to
carve out teeth of different thickness.

PROCESS OF MAKING A COMB

The combs are polished. The teeth are slanted towards the
end to facilitate smooth movement of hair.

Looking at the available horn piece, the design of the sculpture

is drawn.

The broad details are carved out with a saw.

PROCESS OF MAKING A SCULPTURE- ELEPHANT

The sculpture is then ground to carve out the contours.

The finer details are carved out with the sandstone grinder.

The eye is then fitted into the drilled eyehole with the aid of
fevi quick.

The holes for the eye are drilled manually.

Horn turnings are filled i the depressions on the surface of the

sculpture to be coated with kali powder for colour.

The eyes are made of plastic fibre. Traditionally the eyes were
made of ivory but since it has been banned, nowadays plastic
fibre has fallen into use.

The sculpture is then polished to obtain a shiny surface.

VARIETIES OF HORN

Animal horn can be identified by its characteristics and the place it belongs to:

Maharashtra

The horn found here is long, expensive and has a finished texture.

Madras

The horn found here has the best finish and texture.

Bihar

The horn found here is small, thin and is well finished.

Assam and Orissa The horn found in these regions is cheap and has a very rough.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COW HORN AND BUFFALO HORN

COW HORN

BUFFALO HORN

It is round in shape.

It is flat in shape.

It is smooth.

It is rough.

It is short in size and curved.

It is longer and straight.

It has more of hollow portion.

It has more of solid portion.

It is whitish, brownish and greyish.

It is mostly blackish and greyish.

In India, it costs of Rs.40-120/kg.

In India, it costs Rs. 100-200/kg.

If imported, it costs Rs.400-200/kg.

COW HORN

BUFFALO HORN

TOOLS

Grinding machine
Cotton bob for polishing with super X Red, Black and White
Tongs sandasi
Hand drill, pillar drill
Zig saw
Freight saw
Round tip chisel golansan
V-shaped chisel
Hammer hatudi
Pressing machine
Wooden dyes
Kerosene lamp lampo
Round tip filer (medium size)

BUYING AND SELLING STARTEGY

The products made by Mr.Panchanan Das and by the cluster of Mr.Tarun Singha are sold
in district fairs. Fairs conducted in Kolkata are also a medium .They even get exposed to all
India government fair.
Pragati maidan trade fair in Delhi known all over the world also is a platform for sales. The
horn products are also exported to countries abroad like Australia, Japan, and America.
Rich merchants also make orders for horn products.
The best period of sales takes place between the months of September and March as many
fairs are organised all over the country.
During the rest of the months, the artisans work for export houses on demand. In fairs, the
products are sold in retail which gives the artisans a good margin of profit.

OUR EXPERIENCE

The three weeks had us realise and learn a lot of things .

With the most compassionate and selfless people we were made to understand the passion
for craft, encouraging us to create products with our heart and soul we learned lessons
every day, each day forming an experience to be remembered.
Thanking all the people through our journey with their good wishes we move forward.

From left- Rishika Salecha, Anandita Rao, Srividya devavdas Mrs. Somita chandra, Mansi Gupta and Abhishek De